Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.
For the choir director; for [a]flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.
5 Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my [b]groaning.
2 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3 In the morning, O Lord, [c]You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my [d]prayer to You and eagerly watch.4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil [e]dwells with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.
6 You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
7 But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
[f]At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.8 O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of [g]my foes;
Make Your way [h]straight before me.
9 There is nothing [i]reliable in [j]what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself.
Their throat is an open grave;
They [k]flatter with their tongue.
10 Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And [l]may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.
Lest we forget what we learned from Job, David is ready to give us a reminder. Job’s friends would have used the first portion as additional ammunition in their “righteous people always prosper, wicked folks are destroyed” propaganda. Yet David takes a different turn in verse 8 when he asks God to lead him in His righteousness.
There is no mistaking David’s intent, that He wants to stay away from the path of the wicked, but he needs God’s help to do so. Along the way, there is some good advice for those who might be deceived by the wicked. They are flatterers who do not know the truth. Instead, they will say whatever is necessary to gain your trust, hoping to lead you into their trap.
Be on your guard, and trust God, let his Spirit speak to you and guide you so that you are not led astray. When you trust God, and take refuge in Him, your heart will be glad, it will be content, even if the way is not easy. Thank God for his joy which will fill your heart, and remember that everything you have is a gift from Him. What we “achieve” when He directs our path is not of our own making, but His plan being worked through and in us. God is faithful, and will see it through to completion, be patient and see what He can do in your life.